1943: The idea for this
pistol came from the US Army Joint Psychological Committee.

It was designed for the
United States Army in 1942 by the Inland Guide Lamp Manufacturing Division of
the General Motors Corporation.

The concept was that the
guns would be dropped behind enemy lines and used by would-be members of the
resistance as single shot pistols to "liberate" better weapons from the enemy.
They were made in secret and designated the Flare projector-45, or FP-45.

A few rounds of 45 ACP ammo
were stashed in the grip and they came with a cartoon illustration of how to
load it. Reputedly, it took longer to load one of these than it took General
Motors to stamp one out.

Approximately a million were
made in a period of just a few months, but the logistics of delivering them to
the intended users was more daunting that the manufacture of the guns. Very few,
if any, went to occupied Europe, although significant numbers were distributed
in China and the Philippines.

After the war the vast
majority were destroyed, making them very rare today.